built. and in our lifetimes, no one is ever going to see a vehicle that was able to do the things that this one did. i think many people do understand that this is just another testament to some of the technological greatness that can be achieved in this country. it's a testament to that. >> all right. well put. we'll end on that. john zarrella, thank you very much. beautiful sight there in los angeles. i'm don lemon. thanks for watching. good night. just weeks till the election, and it's a dead heat in the race for the white house. millions of latino voters could make all the difference. >> the hispanic vote is going to be critically important in this election. >> with battleground states hanging in the balance, outreach is amping up. >> unprecedented effort. lots of money in nevada, in

colorado, in virginia, in florida. >> in nevada, both parties pull out all the stops to woo latinos and their leaders. >> they have much bigger interests in this race. >> they wanted latino voters. >> they wanted latinos to vote. >> thousands of latinos turn 18 and become eligible to vote every month. they face a struggling economy, broken promises, and harsh immigration rhetoric. do you think democrats and republicans understand latinos here in nevada? >> neither party understands what is needed for the hispanics. >> neither party? >> neither party. >> so who will win them over? "latino in america: courting their vote." las vegas, nevada. one of the gambling capitals of the world. beyond the glitz and glamour in

the shadow of high rollers and high-stakes gambling is high-stakes politics. ♪ this is the las vegas you rarely see. nevada is home to one of the fastest growing latino populations in the country. more than a quarter of the state's population is now hispanic. in 2008, those latino voters helped turn this historically republican state democratic. and again, all eyes are on this crucial swing state and its six electoral votes. >> the goal is to get as much support as we can from the hispanic community. >> hector barreto is one of the people in charge of latino outreach nationally for republican presidential nominee mitt romney. do you think latinos are going to determine who is the next

president? >> they could. obviously it's a growing electorate, and it's going to continue to grow in the elections to come. so i don't think either party can take that vote for granted. >> democrats are fighting to hold on to nevada. with political heavy hitters like senate majority leader harry reid courting the latino community, it's a huge opportunity. nearly 300,000 nevada voters are lati. >> all over the country, but no more magnified any place than nevada is the hispanic vote. >> but republicans want to take the state back. in seven out of the last ten elections, nevada voted republican. >> we understand to win, you have to win the hispanic vote. we have to be engaged. >> i'm anderson cooper in las vegas tonight. the presidential candidates come here to win the west. >> in october 2011, republican presidential candidates rolled in to town with their money and their message. >> herman cain, let me start with you.

would you build an entire fence along the entire border? and would you have it be electrified? >> i will build a double-walled fence. >> there is tough talk on immigration. >> you have enough border patrol agents to oversee the fence, and number two, you turn off the magnets like tuition breaks or other breaks that draw people into this country illegally. >> we have a question in the audience. >> in the audience is las vegas businessman robert zavala, a republican voter anxious to ask the question on the minds of many latino voters. >> we have 50 million latinos, and not all of us are illegal. what is the message for you guys to our latino community? >> is it a tough thing to be republican and latino here? >> yes, it is. >> how so? >> i have to all the time defend the party. so look, that's not all of us. our community is not only about immigration. the latino community is like any other community. they want jobs. they want a better education for

their kids. >> what is the message that we take to the grassroots? >> hours after the gop debate, in a different session, zavala is still pressing his own party's leaders for answers. >> she is saying you are nothing but latino leaders in here, but we don't know how to reach them out here. the democrats are kicking our behind. >> we need you out here talking to us, to the latinos. >> republican cecilia aldana shares zavala's dissatisfaction. >> the republican leadership has to send a message to our community. >> what is your frustration with the republican party? >> they don't see what hispanics go through every day and how is it that the other party is taking advantage of that. they don't see it as a problem. >> so you think the republicans aren't fighting for your vote? >> exactly. >> but cecilia wants to fight for their votes, and is pushing the gop leadership to join her and take their message to the latino community. >> i've never seen them trying to be out there and express their voices, you know. i'm not afraid to tell people what i stand for. so i want them to be with me out there trying to teach and

educate the population. i have a gorgeous view of the sunrise. it gives me the energy i need every day. >> cecilia moved from peru to the united states 30 years ago to pursue her american dream. >> it was hard for me in the beginning. so i made a decision. i said you know what? i need to feed my children. i don't care. i'm going to work as a housekeeper. >> she rose from being a housekeeper to being a bank teller, to running a lucrative chain of medical clinics. >> this is the main location. i'm going to park exactly. >> cecilia spotted an opportunity cater to latinos. >> hi, doctor. >> cecilia. >> how are you? >> good. >> cecilia ran nine clinics, had 130 employees. the recession led her to shut down some clinics and lay off 60 workers. >> the bad economy has delivered blow after blow.

jobs disappear, savings drying up, homes losing value, and now there is a new class of working poor, families who once enjoyed six-figure incomes now lose their homes. >> that's me. if i didn't make the changes i had to make, you know, with the company, we close five clinics. it was really painful. but we did it. and finally we're almost set free, and we're back to hiring again. >> at the core of cecilia's success, she says her conservative beliefs and values. >> i'm a conservative woman. so i believe in personal responsibility. i believe in the american dream. i came to this country to work hard. i don't want government telling me what to do. >> 2804. >> state senator ruben kihuen also believes in the american dream. >> how you? my name is ruben kihuen. >> he, too, is fighting for the

latino vote, but for the democrats. >> what are your top issues? what are you most concerned about right now? the economy, jobs, health care. >> the economy, the foreclosures in the houses. >> foreclosures? >> yeah. >> today nevada is suffering through high levels of foreclosures, 12% unemployment, with the latino community especially hard hit. a recent cnn/orc poll shows three-fourths of latinos are moreoncerned about the economy than immigration policy. >> since most of these people work in the casino industry, in the tourism industry, if the casino and the tourism industry is not making money, they lay people off. so these are the first line of workers who get laid off when times are hard. and so when these people get laid off, they can't pay their bills. when they can't pay their bills, they lose their home. so we have a lot of work to do. >> these are problems plaguing latinos across the country, problems latinos look to their

politicians to solve. but is either party really listening? >> how are you doing, sir? >> ahead -- >> i'm ruben kihuen, running for u.s. congress. >> -- ruben's quest to become nevada's first ever latino congressman. >> i'm running for congress here in las vegas. hopefully i can earn your support. martphone... ♪ ...mom's smartphone... dad's tablet... or lauren's smartphone... at&t has a plan built to help make families' lives easier. introducing at&t mobile share. one plan lets you share data on up to 10 devices with unlimited talk and text. add a tablet for only $10 per month. at&t. add a tablet for only $10 per month. online footwear wedding band big screen gift box trinidad shopping cart trilogy persian rug dvd music download red kayak kitty condo 5% cash back sign up to get 5% everywhere online through december. only from discover.

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♪ >> hi, how are you? good. ruben kihuen. here is my card. hopefully i can count on your support. how are you? who is this good-looking gentleman here? >> congressional candidate ruben kihuen knows how to work a room. >> ladies! >> talking to some of the most powerful latino leaders in nevada. >> mr. governor. >> like republican brian sandoval, the state's first latino governor. >> good to see you. >> how are you doing? >> i'm not the most famous candidate, i'm not the one with the most money, but i'm the one with the biggest heart and the most energy. >> just keep working. >> it's good to see you. >> good luck. >> thank you. >> count on your support! >> ruben has more than luck on his side, he has democratic senator harry reid as his mentor.

>> nevada senator harry reid! >> reid gave ruben his start in politics handling events in the latino community. >> a lot of community leaders here start saying wow, this guy ruben, he is doing a good job for senator reid. maybe he could run for office some day. >> and that's exactly what ruben did, winning a seat in the nevada state assembly when he was just 26. >> si se puede! >> si se puede! >> now at 31 -- >> hi, how are you? >> -- he has a much loftier goal. >> i'm ruben kihuen. i'm running for u.s. congress. >> the state's latino population has skyrocketed, up 87%. more than 700,000 latinos over the last decade. >> how are you? you look warm. >> redistricting resulted in one district becoming heavily hispanic. [ speaking spanish ] >> constituents i had been representing for the past years were calling and saying ruben you should run. so i met with a lot of people for many weeks. i went out to washington, d.c., i met with senator reid. >> did he encourage you to run?

>> senator reid is the type of person if he doesn't want you to run, he will tell you directly you should not run. but the fact that he didn't discourage me directly from running meant to me that this was an opportunity for me to run. >> thank you so much. are you guys ready to go door to door? >> so ruben launched a grassroots campaign. sharing his experience as a latino immigrant who achieved his own american dream after emigrating from mexico with his family when he was 6. >> this is where my family and i first lived here in las vegas. when you get here with nothing and you get to live in a house with four bedrooms in front of a park, my father had a car, we had a home, he had a job, that is the american dream. i think to understand the issues of the people that live in this area, you have to have lived through the same experience that they live.

my family has lost a home, you know, to foreclosure. we -- i've had parents who have been unemployed, both of them. we've been in situations where we dn't know where our next paycheck was going to come from or how we were going to put food at the table that night. >> through hard work, ruben says, all the members of his family have realized their american dream. but others in the latino community are struggling. >> we want these people who live in these homes to have an opportunity to move up if they want to. and right now they're losing hope because those opportunities are not there. >> ruben is running in a district with 500,000 latinos, the largest latino population in the state. >> i need your help. >> he says electing him to congress would give latinos a voice. >> hi, everybody! >> and democratic leaders hope ruben's candidacy would bring more latinos out to the polls. ♪ but in the fall of 2011, candidate kihuen discovers he's

got competition in the democratic primary -- congresswoman dina titus. titus is an extremely experienced and well-financed politician. ruben is young and fresh and culturally connected. >> i might not raise as much money as her, but i have hundreds of volunteers ready to go knock on doors. those young voters that are willing to make phone calls for you. >> to hear about ruben and see his face. >> more than 60,000 latinos turn 18 every month across the country, and some democratic leaders believe ruben could be the right man to connect to them. >> we will be meeting right here. >> debbie rios is the president of the hispanic student union at rancho high school, ruben's alma mater. >> if you go and you have a ruben shirt, please wear it. >> debbie's passion goes beyond politics. it's also personal. her brother and many of her friends are in this country illegally. the dream act could have protected them from deportation.

it went down to defeat by the senate in 2010. >> having friends who are so close who had that chance to be enabled to have some kind of legal status here, and then knowing that it was impossible, it was very heartbreaking. [ speaking spanish ] >> political radio host and registered democrat miguel barrientos is also disappointed with this party. >> 70% of the population went with barack obama to get him elected. when that happens, everybody is fired up. i mean the students are happy. we're going to get dream act. everybody is talking immigration reform is coming in. and then the first 100 days go by, and well, nada. >> president obama has upset latinos by deporting more undocumented immigrants than any other administration in u.s. history. to debbie rios and other

latinos, part of the solution is more hispanic leaders in washington, d.c., like ruben kihuen. >> you know, i don't have as much money as my opponent. >> but the thing is you got all the hispanics behind you. >> you know, that's what i'm hoping for. >> ruben is trying to build the momentum and the base he needs to win. >> tres, dos -- >> even appearing on republican businesswoman cecilia aldana's new tv show. ruben is a democrat. support crosses party lines. [ speaking spanish ] >> he impressed me today, absolutely impressed me today. 43% is hispanics. he should be the one representing that district. >> it seems ruben has support of his community. >> ruben kihuen. hi, how are you? >> and powerful democratic

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you ought to see the faces of the children when they see santa claus. >> december 2011.

the season of giving, and cecilia aldana's favorite time of the year. >> okay, listo. feliz navidad. i collected between the purchase and the donations 5,500 toys. >> every year cecilia helps sponsor a toy and food drive for nevada's neediest. >> this is the reality. this is exactly what happens in las vegas. >> the unemployment rate for latinos in nevada is 15.2%. it doubled after the recession of 2008 when the construction industry collapsed. >> what really makes me extremely sad is no politician understands what happens every day in our lives. >> even republican party leaders admit they need to do more. >> i think, in a lot of cases, we have some work to do. >> sean spicer is with the republican national committee. >> i think if you looked at it on paper, we should be the home for every latino, hands-down, no

question. unfortunately, i think we haven't always done the best job of reaching out to them and talking to them about it. >> lack of outreach has led latinos to form their own opinions based on the republicans' tough stance on immigration. in fact, a recent cnn/orc poll shows nearly 70% of latinos believe democrats care more about them, while only 24% say republicans care more. what do you think most hispanics in nevada think of the republican party? >> they immediately go and say we don't vote republicans. they're all evil. they're no good people. >> that's what hispanics here say. >> why, soledad? why do they say that? it's because they hear that on the news every day. and i'm a republican. i'm a conservative republican. i'm out there working hard, making sure i create jobs for more people. >> cecilia feels she is doing her part, but the republican

party itself is struggling. >> why is the economy weak? >> while nevada's republican party is supporting ron paul, the national republican party is unifying behind mitt romney. >> we are having a rally for mitt romney. >> to people like cecilia, it seems there is no clear party direction, no easy way to be involved until -- >> mitt, mitt, mitt, mitt! >> mitt romney comes to town. >> i'm talking to some of the romney people to see what i can do to help them to recruit hispanics. >> at last, cecilia feels engaged by her party. >> we've seen record numbers of foreclosures. i don't have to tell you that. we need new leadership in washington. >> it totally inspires me. it gives me hope for the future. so i can't wait for him to

become president. >> republican or democrat, nevada's latino community shares the same hope for its future, sending one of their own to congress. for democrats that would be state senator ruben kihuen. january 24th, 2012, washington, d.c. >> you know, i get the chills every time i walk by this building. >> congressional candidate kihuen has traveled across the country as a guest of his mentor, senator harry reid. he is attending the state of the union address. >> this is maybe a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. god willing, we win this election in june and in november, and next year i'll be serving in the spot as a member of congress, listening to that speech. >> while in washington, ruben makes a point to meet with key latino congressmen. >> i'm walking into the building right now. >> of the 530 members currently in congress, 28 are latino -- 8 republicans, 20 democrats. >> all right? >> i'm doing well.

i'm on the way to meet with congressman becerra. >> like charlie gonzalez, chairman of the congressional caucus. >> a few more offices. >> and congressman xavier becerra from california. >> congressman! how are you? >> are you going to be watching the state of the union? >> yes. actually i'm here as a guest as senator reid. >> with each meeting, ruben's confidence builds. >> a state senator running for congress. >> and he'll be here in about a year. >> i'm working hard. >> mr. speaker! the president of the united states. >> that night, the state of the union. what was it like? >> when you're invited to sit there and be among the 600 most powerful people in the world possibly, you know, including the president of the united states of america, and you get

to witness this event in person, it's life-changing. >> then the next morning, an important meeting. senator harry reid, ruben's mentor and a king maker in congress. so for the folks in washington, d.c., how important was it that you were a latino in a district that was heavily latino, 40 some odd percent, and that you're an immigrant? >> i think they had much bigger interest in this race. nevada is a battleground state. it's a purple state. it's gone republican, it's gone democrat. >> they wanted latino voters? >> they wanted latinos to come out and vote. they know that having a latino on the general election ballot, it was going to help increase that turnout. so, you know that. >> they had their own vested

interest in this. >> it seems to me you had a ton of momentum, both in washington, d.c. and youown constituents. >> there was a picture where senator reid had his arm around me. so oh, wow we know who senator reid is supporting. >> the trip to washington leaves ruben riding high. but back in las vegas, trouble is brewing. >> 99%, i'll tell you what. >> ruben's competitor, dina titus, is beating him in every poll. there must have been people in your campaign or crunching those numbers and saying ruben, we're in trouble. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. vsp members can save on all authentic transitions lenses, including our new transitions vantage and transitions xtractive lenses. experience life well lit. ask which transitions adaptive lens is best for you. capella university understands back from rough economic times. employees are being forced to do more with less.

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. i'm don lemon. here are the headlines. "endeavour"'s final mission, the slowest mission. hitting snags as the retired spacecraft moves through the streets of los angeles for its soon-to-be retirement home at the california science center. the roadtrip is several hours behind schedule, but nasa is taking no chances and being very careful about this. after all, it is "endeavour's" final journey. the free syrian army is claiming a major trophy in its war again the government. [ gunfire ] >> rebels say they shot down a military jet that was unleashing attacks from the air. but there was no letup saturday in the violence. the opposition says at least 141 people were killed across the country. the cdc reports more than a dozen new cases of fungal meningitis and another fatality. the death toll now stands at 15. overall, 198 cases are confirmed across 13 states. the outbreak is linked to contaminated steroid injections

used to relieve back and neck pain. 14,000 people may have gotten tainted injections. those are your headlines this hour. i'm don lemon. keeping you informed, cnn, the most trusted name in news. i'm ruben kihuen. i'm running for united states congress. >> okay. >> thank you, my friend. >> ruben kihuen, energetic, enthused. >> i'm one of the youngest senators here in nevada. >> and emboldened by his trip to washington, d.c., is back in las vegas. >> i love you, ruben. >> continuing his campaign to become nevada's first latino congressman. but the polls are telling a different story. there must have been people in your campaign or crunching those numbers and saying, ruben, we're in trouble. >> we were not focused on what

that poll or any of the polls were saying. because i was confident by the time election day came around, they knew who ruben kihuen and what he planned on doing for them. >> then on february 7th, 2012, just two weeks after ruben's d.c. trip, a surprising turn. kihuen releases this statement and withdraws from the race. >> here at home, state senator ruben kihuen has dropped out of the race. >> rancho high school is the home base for ruben's volunteer youth support. both students and teachers struggle with the news. >> it's so shocking because just this saturday we were out canvassing for him and his campaign manager was there, and, you know, the field director was there. how could this have happened? >> the only time i think i've been sad or maybe affected is when i found out the dream act had not passed. >> the students expect to hear from ruben personally. instead, his sister -- >> mariana kihuen. >> thank you, guys. >> -- faces their disappointment.

>> it was you guys that really made his campaign last the five, six months that it did. >> all the indications was that ruben is our candidate and he will go to congress. >> miguel barrientos, a host for krlv radio in las vegas. >> ruben would have kept the party strong. he would have kept the latinos more on the democratic ticket. but after that, i think it's going to reflect on how people are going to get elected here in southern nevada. >> a week passes, and a once highly visible ruben kihuen has still not made a public appearance. speculation builds about his withdrawal from the race. [ speaking spanish ] >> until ruben appears on miguel's spanish radio,000 show. -- radio show to face those who believed in him. >> the reality is, you know, some people don't understand it, but the reality is we didn't have the money. >> so okay, ruben, if the issue

is money -- >> miguel doesn't buy it. harry reid was able to raise $30 million for a senate race. i'm sure with a couple of phone calls he would have raised a million dollars for ruben kihuen if he really wanted to help the latino community. >> regardless of the reasons, ruben struggles with his decision to drop out. >> and again, it was tough. don't get me wrong. for me -- >> how tough? >> for me, i couldn't sleep the day before because i wasn't sure if i should stay in the race or not. we had the volunteers. we had the people's support. we had the community, you know, behind my campaign. >> but? >> we had community leaders. >> but? >> but this was going to have a negative impact ultimately for president obama's campaign here in nevada because i know that worst case scenario, had i lost that primary, those voters who were nontraditional voters, who were excited to see my candidacy were going to be discouraged to go out there and support anyone in the general election. >> ruben says with the weight of reelecting president obama on his shoulders and the dreams of

his community on his back, he took one for the team. his party, not his people. are some latinos mad about that? you know, that the person who has to take one for the team is the young up and coming latino who can bring out the latino vote, which by the way is big in this state? but when push came to shove, it's not going to be you this time. >> you know, i'm -- i don't know. i've heard of a lot of, you know, mixed messages from people. i know some people did call me, and some people were -- with the democratic party that they should have come out and supported me publicly. if they're really so concerned about getting latinos out to vote that. >> should have supported the latino candidate. >> senator reid's office says

the decision to drop out of the race was kihuen's. from ruben's balcony, the strip offers a constant reminder of why he got into the race in the first place. >> if you look at that big green hotel over there, that's where my mom works. and as we speak, that's where she is working. she is a housekeeper at the mgm grand. part of the reason why i was doing this was because of my mom, and because of my father. so when i look out there, i think about my mom that is working right now, her dream of seeing me serving in congress is going to have to be put on hold. but i'm still committed to it as ever. it just didn't happen in 2012. >> republican cecilia aldana still has high hopes for 2012. inspired after working at the republican caucus supporting front-runner mitt romney, cecilia sets her sights on becoming a delegate to the national convention. >> is that going to happen? >> no, it didn't happen.

i don't know how exactly that works, but i was not one of the names on the list. i don't know what the process is, but my name wasn't there. so i guess it broke my heart. >> with nevada's republican party in disarray -- >> ron paul! >> -- splinters between ron paul and mitt romney supporters and no strategy, cecilia is left with a challenge. >> you are nevada hispanics. >> how to win over the latino vote for republicans on her own. and with ruben out of the race, have democrats jeopardized getting the latino vote in nevada? ards card gives you a 50% annual bonus. and everyone likes 50% more [ russian accent ] rubles. eh, eheh, eh, eh. [ brooklyn accent ] 50% more simoleons. [ western accent ] 50% more sawbucks. ♪ [ maine accent ] 50% more clams. it's a lobster, either way. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card. with a 50% annual cash bonus, it's the card for people who like more cash. [ italian accent ] 50% more dough!

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this is a big day for debbie rios. ♪ today she is graduating from rancho high school. she'll start college in the fall. >> debbie lorraine rios. >> something her undocumented older brother could not do. debbie rios is becoming an adult in a school district where the population is booming. nearly 50% of kindergartners are latino. though latinos are the largest minority group in the country,

they're politically underrepresented nationwide. here in nevada, democrat ruben kihuen abandoned his bid to become the state's first latino congressman. >> hello, rancho high school! >> but urges the rancho graduates to keep on fighting. >> we must remember that the road to success leads through hard work, patience, persistence, and perseverance. >> ruben is persevering by joining his party's outreach to latino voters. are democrats engaging the latino voters here? >> yes. i'm seeing a lot of activity from the president's campaign from even some of our local candidates. they understand the value of the latino vote, and they're making an effort to go out there to the events. you need to invest in the latino vote in order to get latinos to come out and vote. >> and you feel like the democrats are investing? >> they're investing. >> regardless of what happened with you? >> yes. yes.

>> many latinos are disappointed with the democrats after president obama failed to tackle the immigration reform he promised after the 2010 defeat of the dream act. and in nevada, many latinos resent the lack of support for leaders like ruben. >> i think that the leadership is seeking the latino votes. but the way we saw it with the ruben kihuen issue is they're not ready to give us the political power. i think it's a missed opportunity for the democrat leadership. >> five months before the election, president obama independently makes a decision that changes the game. >> effective immediately, the department of homeland security is taking steps to lift the shadow of deportation from these young people. >> the president's executive decision temporarily allows undocumented young people to stay in the u.s. and apply for a work permit, a strategy that directly targets young voters

under 30, like debbie rios. the republicans say it isn't the right solution. mitt romney now the party's candidate, fires back. >> i believe the status of young people here who come here through no fault of their own is an important matter to be considered and should be solved on a long-term basis. >> on the ground, the national parties are dialing into the latino community. and both parties come to nevada for the national council of la raza's annual conference. >> we need to define ourselves. >> janet murguia is la raza's president. >> we saw latinos be a swing vote in 2010 and in 2008 when president barack obama was put into office and when harry reid was elected into office. as it turns out, they tipped the scales, and i think everyone credits the latino community with having made the difference in those elections. >> the nclr conference has been a center stage for latino

politics. candidates obama and mccain spoke here in 2008. but neither candidate attends in 2012. janet murguia says it's a missed opportunity. >> it's important to tap into that growing power of the latino community and to encourage as many latinos and hispanics to be full participants in the electoral process. [ speaking spanish ] >> which is exactly what cecilia aldana is now focusing on. >> we're trying to educate the population on the different options. >> frustrated by the split in nevada's republican party, cecilia moves forward on her own. though still a hard-core republican, she decides to join an independent conservative group. >> i became part of nevada hispanic. it was created by one of my

greatest friends. we believe on strong immigration. we believe on the family. >> why not work with the republican party? >> i think you can achieve more doing what i'm doing. because i don't tell you how to vote. i want to teach you how this country works. >> the republican party's outreach is slowly taking shape. with the state party in disarray, the republican national committee and the romney campaign start their own separate outreach. they call it team nevada. hector barreto helps lead mitt romney's official latino outreach. romney and team nevada opened their offices in las vegas, and that was april. and there are plenty of people in nevada, latinos who felt that it was really late by then. do you think that was late? >>, no i don't think it was late. and, again, a lot of times people aren't really even plugging in until you get to this time of the year. >> but are republicans plugging into nevada latinos? latinos in the state of nevada. that your focus for the campaign? >> well, no.

i've personally been in colorado campaigning. i've been in ohio. i'm going to wisconsin this week. >> you just told me that you think nevada could be a critical swing state. >> oh, it is. but we can do more than one state at the same time. >> and they'll have to. with obama and romney nearly tied in the polls, and just weeks left until the election, the latino vote is especially crucial. up next, democrats and republicans bring latino issues and players to the biggest stage yet. headphones buy now broadway show megapixels place to sleep little roadster war and peace deep sea diving ninja app hipster glasses 5% cash back sign up to get 5% everywhere online through december. only from discover. as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios

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the democratic national convention, the party's biggest political pep rally of the year. >> four more years, four more years! >> front and center is state senator ruben kihuen, one of the party's biggest fans. months earlier, ruben took one for the team, as he describes it, dropping out of the highly contested congressional race f district 1 in nevada. he said he feared his candidacy

would divide the democratic party. tonight ruben represents nevada as the democratic national committee man. >> i ran for national committee man, got elected. so this is part of my responsibility to be here. but also because i'm one of the main surrogates also for the president's campaign back home. >> my grandmother didn't live to see us begin our lives in public service, but she probably would have thought it extraordinary. >> julian castro, it's the first time a latino is doing the keynote at the dnc, which surprised me. is it an important role, a message being sent to latinos? >> the american dream is still alive. if we work hard and sacrifice, it's still out there. it was still my message when i was campaigning for congress. so for me to witness this, it's historic. >> with the election a virtual dead heat, both parties are desperate to connect with the nation's 24 million eligible

latino voters. >> buenas noches. [ speaking spanish ] >> the republicans' pitch at their convention? they're the party that is true to the conservative beliefs latinos value most. >> there was no limit how far i could go because i was an american. >> republican cecilia aldana dreamed of going as a delegate to the convention. it didn't happen. so cecilia shifted her efforts away from the republican party and toward an independent conservative group called nevada hispanics. she is now the chairwoman. should the republican party look at you and say this is what we need to win hispanics? if we don't get hispanics, eventually we are really not going to be competitive? >> yes. they need to make a note. and what i'm doing every day is they need to do.

>> but they don't make a note. >> they don't make a note. >> but the party needs to be making note, and fast. >> deportation! >> cecilia aldana is doing her part and believes her independent efforts could deliver 5 to 10,000 conservative votes for mitt romney. >> i spoke to cecilia last week. i met with her. >> hector barreto helps lead mitt romney's official latino outreach. >> you know, she has an organization. she is doing a lot of grassroots too. >> she told me she started doing that on her own when she couldn't get into the campaign. >> you know what? that's what leaderdo. she is a leader. they don't wait for anybody. >> wouldn't it make more sense to take someone like that who is clearly a leader. >> absolutely. >> and wants to see governor romney win? >> absolutely. >> and embrace her? >> as i'm sure that cecilia is going to be a big supporter and a big contributor to the campaign going forward. >> and she already is. that's my point. she is a big supporter and contributor financially who

would like to see governor romney as president. can't figure out how to get. in and she believes her interpretation is the campaign is disorganized and is not really focusing on hispanics in nevada, that the romney campaign doesn't really care. >> you know, what happens in campaigns also is campaigns change. you're running a primary campaign. you don't have a lot of resources to put on the ground. you get into the general campaign, d especially if you're the nominee, and now you have more resources and you have more staff. and these things change very, very quickly. >> but governor romney isn't doing himself any favors, especially when this tape from a spring fundraiser is released. >> you probably know was the governor of michigan and was the head of a car company, but he was born in mexico. and had he been born of mexican parents, i would have a better shot of winning this. >> with the election weeks away, nevada is still up for grabs. los angeles mayor antonio villaraigosa is one of the key campaigners for the nevada vote.

do you think the state of nevada is going to pick the next president? >> 24 out of the last 25 elections they have picked the president. as nevada goes, so goes the nation. but i see a very close election. >> today there are 51 million latinos in the country. roughly half are eligible to vote, and their votes are critical to winning the election. but what about their voices? when will their numbers translate into political power? >> i've said this to democrats and republicans alike. we know that when latinos see more candidates coming from their community, there is no question that that has a way of kind of energizing the latino vote. >> ruben kihuen hopes to be one of those candidates in the future. will you run for office again? >> absolutely. >> will you be a congressman? >> absolutely. >> one day? >> one day. yes. he